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Asheville snaps back with victory over Patriots

January 11, 2005 - NBA G League (G League)
Asheville Altitude News Release


ASHEVILLE, N.C., January 11, 2005 - The Asheville Altitude snapped a two home-game losing streak with an 85-76 win over the Fayetteville Patriots Tuesday night at the Asheville Civic Center. Asheville's Kirk Penney scored a career-high 25 points while shooting perfectly from the free-throw line connecting on 4-of-4 baskets.

"I was able to get into a rhythm early and luckily maintain it as the game went along," said Penney. "We played hard and at the end we were able to make the stops we needed to get the win."

The first quarter provided an uncharacteristic opening for the Altitude as they turned the ball over twice and committed two fouls before posting any points on the scoreboard. Fayetteville was also plagued with difficulty scoring the games first points following two turnovers and a foul.

Asheville slowly rebounded late in the quarter with Kirk Penney and Meeking leading the way with 17 combined points. By the quarter's end, Asheville led by 10 points while shooting 50 percent from the field. Fayetteville was unable to find the net connecting for only 28 percent from the field and registering only 6-of-21 baskets.

Asheville's Ron Slay was red hot as the second quarter opened, sinking the teams first three baskets. But second chance baskets and foul trouble gave the Patriots the momentum they needed to close the quarter following an 18-6 rally to pull to within two points.

Fayetteville dominated during their comeback attempt as they held Asheville scoreless for over seven minutes spanning the second and third quarters. But Penney ended the surge regaining the lead on two separate occasions to recapture the five point edge.

Penney secured his "Player of the Game" honor shooting 4-of-4 from the field in addition to leading all scorers with nine points in the final quarter.

"This was an important game to win after our poor performances last weekend," said head coach Joey Meyer. "This was a team effort, it took all ten guys to contribute and help secure this victory."

Asheville connected on 90 percent from the free-throw line (10-11) and held the Patriots to their second lowest scoring total of the season with 76 points.

Four players scored in double digits for the Altitude including Penney, Tony Kitchings (13), Meeking (12) and Ron Slay with 10 points. Meeking the NBDL scoring leader recorded his 11th consecutive double digit performance of the season, 16th overall.

David Young led the way for the Patriots with 16 points. Ernest Brown posted a double-double performance with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Mike King chipped in with 12 points and two rebounds off the bench.

The Altitude will face the Patriots in their next outing, Friday, Jan. 14 at Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, NC. The game is scheduled to being at 7:00 p.m.



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